Combination can opener, funnel, and flexible pipe attachment



June 25, 1935.

c. F. BEYRTSCHINGER COMBINATION CAN OPENER, FUNNEL, AND FLEXIBLE PIPE ATTACHMENT Filed May 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v IN VENT OR VIM gel

ATTO EY Charles F. Bertschin I" mm m J1me 1935- c. F. BERTSCHINGER 2,006,194

COMBINATION CAN OPENER, FUNNEL, AND FLEXIBLE PIPE ATTACHMENT Filed May 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gen.

Patented June 25, 1935 I UNITED STATES: PATENT OFFICE 2,006.194 l o mm'riorz CAN ()PENER', FUNNEL, AN'n FLEXIBLE PIPE ATTACHMENT r i Charles F. 'Bertsjchinger, Waterbury, Conn as-- signor to The Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of. Connecticut Application May 2, 1934, Serial No. 723,520

l2 Claims. (Cl. 221-23) l i This invention relatesto liquid handling aptaken throughthe funnel 'bowl and adjustable paratus and more particularly to a combination can openin'g knife. a can opener and funnel, the latter having a flexible Fig. 8 is a front viewof thesame; tube attached to the spout thereof. v Fig. 9 isa side view of the combination device One object of this invention is to provide a deas it appears when supported by the D-ring. 5

vice of the above nature in which the discharge Fig. 10 is a side view of the same when supspout projects up into the funnel and is provided ported by'the apertured handle. upon its upper end with an adjustable cutting Referring now to the drawings in which like refknife and a co-operating can rim engaging hook. erence numerals denote corresponding parts 10 said knife being adapted to pierce a holein the throughout the several views; the numeral Ill in- Y 10 side wall of thecan for emptying the contents. dicat'es a furmel' bowl preferably made semi: thereof. spherical in shape and formed with a tiered A further object is to provide a device of the, bell-mouth flange ,circumscribing its upper above nature in which the flexible tube is deedge. j f p.

tachably secured to the pouring end of the funnel The body of the bowl 10 is provided with'an 15 spout for the purpose of directing the poured eccentric drifted opening |2 adapted to receive contents in various directions to points which an elongated taperingspout l3, which projects would otherwise be difiicult or impossible toreach. upwardly through the funnel bowl lo and ex- A further object is 'to provide a device of the tends slightly 'above'the plane of the b ellmouth above nature in which means are. provided for flange'l the upper rim M of said spout being out 20 holding the flexible tube detachably with its end wardly flared, as shown. 7 i in an upwardly bent position to catch the draih- The axis of the spout i3 is located at an angle ings from the funnel when-it is suspended froma of approximately 30 from the vertical axis of the supporting hook or allowed to rest upon a flat bowl l0, and said spout 3 is preferably joined surface. 7 l p f I to the bowl by means of a continuous fillet of A :further object is to provide a device of the solder 15. (See Fig. 7.) 7 above naturewhichwill be simple in construction, In order to puncture'the can, which maybe inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble and either cylindrical or otherwise provision is made manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance. of a concave knife |6 which vis detachably 'seand very eflicient and durable in use. cured to the upper front end of the spout I3. and 30 With these and other objects invie'w there have is adapted to extend upwardly a substantialdisbeen illustrated on the accompanying drawings, tance above the open flanged'end of said spout l3; two forms in which theinvention may be conven- The knife 'I 6 is preferably made of temperedsteel iently embodied in practice. and is cupped at itsupper end l1 to presenta Inthe drawings: I f a Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the comat a sharp puncturing point l9. I bination can opener, pouring funnel and flexible The knife 3' is detachably and adjustably se tube as it appears in use with certain parts cured to the funnel spout l3'within the bowl 10 r k n away to ho t nt rio ns ct o by mean f a ir clam n l te .0 nd

pair of sharp'cutting edges |8;"|8 which intersect 35 4 ig.2 is a detached dtailblan"viewofthe positioned ins'ide the spout: liandoutside the 40 expan'sible tie member'for retaining the flexible knife l6 respectively, said fplates being held totube in bent position when the funnel is out of g'ether by means of a pair of headedscrews 22, 22. use. v I '1 v The-screws 22,22 fit closely in'suitableapertures Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view 23 in the outside plate 2| and are loosely located 5 of the bayonet lock collar for'detachably connecte in an elongated slot 24 in the lower part of the i5 ing the tube with the end of the funnel spout. knife |B.' 'The ends of the screws 22, 22 are en- Fig. 4 is a perspective fragmentary view of the gaged in. tapped holes 25, 2! in the inside plate- 20. end of the funnel spout, showing the bayonet lock- Theupper end of the outside plate 2| has an ing groove. integral hooked lug 28, so formed and positioned Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the that the rim 29 of a can 30 may be engagedthere- 50 funnel bowl showing the attached handle. by prior to the can-opening operation. The lug Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 show- 28 constitutes a fulcrum, on which the can may ing a modified form of screw connection for atbe tilted rearwardly with sufficient leverage to taching the flexible tube to the funnel spout. cause the knife IE to penetrate and cut a tongue Fig"? is an enlarged vertical sectional view 3| out of thefside wall of the can 30 and bend 5 the same against the adjacent end cover of the can, leaving an unobstructed opening 32 through which the contents of the can may be emptied.

described, the can 30 will be caused to lie in an in-.

clined position with the sheared hole 32 extend ing downwardly when said can is forced back as tar as permitted, it being understood that the spout will normally be substantially vertical when in use. It will thus be seen that the entire contents of the can will be discharged throughthe opening 32 into the funnel. .A trough-like handle member 33 having an end aperture 83a is at taehed to the outside of the bowl l0 and projects.

outwardly substantially in the same plane of the upper edge oi'said bowl toserve as a support'tor the emptying can. 7 W

The size oi the opening 82 sheared in the can 30 may be varied byadiusting the positionoi the knife l6 relative to the spout II, which adjustment may be readily accomplished merely by loosening thescrews 22 and moving the knife along the spoutas desired. If any of oil or other. fluid contents of the can spills over outside of the spout during thepouring operation, it will be caught in the bowllli oi the tunnel and drained back into the spout I! through a plurali'ty of holes 34 provided in said spout l3 adjacent thebottorn oi the bowl Ill. (See Fig. 1.)

In case it is desired to conduct the contents of the can to a point difficult to reach bythe straight spout i3, such as the filler pipe ll 0! an automobilecrank case, provision is made'oi' a flexible metal tube. generally indicated by the numeral 36 which may be detachably titted to the pouring end of: said spout II. The tube 38 is preferably made of a section of spirally wound metalhose 31, andasshown in' Fig. 1, has its lower end providedwith a ring-shaped nozzle 38. In the flrst form shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the upper end of the tube 36 is preierably'flttedinte an enlarged socket 39 formed in the adjacent end oi a tubular attachingicollar 40. The collar 44 is adapted to slip over the lower-'end'oi the spout i4 and is detachably locked thereupon by means oi an inwardly projecting knob 4| positioned on the interior of saidcollar 4i adiacent the upper edge thereof, said knob being adapted toflt in a bayonet slot '42 iormed in the lower end or said spout t3.

Inorder to retain the flexible ,tubing' II with its end bent at any desired angle sofas to prevent dripping after the can 30 has beenemptied'and the tunnel has been removed from the fllier pipe 35, provisionis made of a flexible tie member generally indicated by the numeral 42and including va section of "saiety chain 43, a helical expansion sprin .44. and a pair of "end pipe-engaging split rings '45 and 48. The ring 45 is connected to the" spring 44 and is made of round stock having semii-circular ends 41 connected by a radially onset loop 48 to which the adjacent eye or the spring 44 is attached. The semi-circular ends 41 arev adapted to have swiveling engagement in an arcuate groove 48 surrounding the intermediate portion of the collar". y

' The split ring 48 on the opposite end of the chain '42 is preferably made of square stock and is formed in a shape similar to the ring 4!, i. e., having semi-circular clamping ends 40 connected by a radially oi'iset loop l0 adapted to be joined to the end of the chain 43. The end link 5i 0! the chain 43 which engages the loop 50 is soldered or otherwise held rigidly in place so as to lie in the same plane as the ring 46. By means of this construction, the gripping efiect of the sharp interior corner of the square stock of the ring 46 upon the flexible tubing 31 is enhanced;

In order to support the funnel when not in use, a D-ring 52 is pivotally attached to the outside surface of the funnel bowl it! by means of a vertical bail lug 53 spot welded thereto. (See Fig. 1.) The tunnel-may then be hung upon a pro jection such as a nail 54 by means'of the 'D-ring 52 in the manner as. shown in Fig. 9, inwhich casethe flexible pipe 31 is bent upwardly as shown and retained in such position by sliding the flexible tie member ,42' to the position shown, thus catching'the residual liquid draining from the tunnel and preventing it from becoming lost.

The tunnel may also be supported as shown in Fig. 10, by hanging it upon anail 55 engaging in the aperture 33a provided in the outer end of the bowl handle 33. I The flexible tube 36 spout i3, said D-ring 52 is so positioned with re-- spect to'the center of gravity of the funnel that the axis of the spout l3 will lie-substantially in a horizontal plane so that any liquid in the funnel will be caught in that segment of the bowl which is subtended bythe dot and dash line 51 in Fig. l.

The modified form of collar it for attaching the flexible pipe 36 to the end of the spout I! as shown in Fig. 6 is similar in all respects to the collar 4|! 0! the first form, with the exception-that the upper part of the collar is "provided with an interior thread 59 which is adapted to threadedly engage upon a pair of staggered outwardly proiecting nubs 60 positioned upon the spout l3 adiacent thepouring'end thereof.

While there have been disclosed in this'speciflcation two forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these iorms'are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures} but'may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing irom' its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope'oi the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it 'is'desired'to secure Letters Patent is: f

1 In a can-opening spout or i'unneljarticle, an open bowl, a tube extending through saidv bowl and sealed in the base thereof; and a" cutter secured to said tube for piercing the side of a can. said tube having apertures above the-base oi said bowl to permit liquid to drain from said bowl to said spout, the top of said tube being located above the plane of the top of said bowl.

2. -In a can-opening spout or tunnel article, an open bowl, a tube extending .through'said bowl and sealed in the base thereoi, and a cutter-secured to said tube ior piercing the side of a can. said tube having apertures above the base of said bowl to permit liquid to drainirom said bowl tosaidspout. 1' 1 8. In a can-opening spout or tunnel article, an open bowl, a tube extending through saidbowl and sealed in the base thereof, and a-cutter secured to said tube for piercing the side of a can,

said tube having apertures above the base of said bowl to permit liquid to drain from said bowl to said spout, the top of said tube being located above the plane 01' the top of said bowl, the center axis of said tube being disposed at an angle to the center axis of said bowl. I

4. In a combination can opener and funnel, a tube, a V-pointed cutter and a fulcrum all rigidly connected together as a unit, said fulcrum being engageable by the rim of a can, and the relations being such that an opening will be pierced in the side of the can when said can is swung around the fulcrum, and means for permitting longitudinal adjustment of said cutter with respect to said tube and fulcrum to produce a variable size of cut in said can.

5. Ina combination can opener and funnel, a tube, a V-pointed cutter and a fulcrum all rigidly connected together as a unit, said fulcrum beingengageable by the rim of a can, and the relations being such that an opening will be pierced in the side of the can when said can is swung around the fulcrum, said cutter having an elongated slot near its lower end, and screw means passing through said slot for detachably clamping said cutter in adjusted position upon the exterior of the upper portion of said tubewhereby a variable size of cut may be made in the side of said can.

6. In a combination can-opener and funnel, a

' tube for insertion in a receptacle, a V-pointed cutter having a flat lower end lying in contact with the exterior of said tube, a hooked fulcrum plate lying upon the outside of said cutter, an anchor plate located inside said tube behind said cutter and fulcrum plate, and screw means passing through saidv fulcrum plate, cutter, and anchor plate for detachably clamping said cutter in adjusted position with respect to said tube and fulcrum to produce a variable size of cut in the side of the can,

'7. In a combination-can opener and spout, a tube open at both ends, a knife attached to said tube at the top thereof for puncturing the side of a can, a fulcrum fixed adjacent said knife and adapted to be engaged by the rim of a can to cause an opening to be pierced in the side of said can when said can is swung about said fulcrum, a funnel bowl surrounding said tube in liquid sealing relation to receive liquid which spills therefrom, and a laterally extending member, secured to said bowl to support said can when swung down to pierce the opening therein, said member also serving as a handle for manipulating said ticle, a funnel bowl, an upwardly extending cutter rigidly supported with respect to said bowl, a fulcrum member rigidly supported with respect to said cutter, and means for permitting said article to be suspended after it has been used so that liquid will not drip from said bowl but will remain in the side of said bowl. 9. In a funnel including a connected bowl an tube, a flexible pipe detachably joined to the lower end of said tube, a flexible and resilient chain fixed at one end to said tube and slidably and adjustably connected at its other end to said pipe, and means cooperating with said chain for holding the lower end of said pipe curved upwardly to prevent liquid from dripping therefrom when said funnel is hung up after it has been used.

10. In an attachment for a funnel having a connected bowl and tube, a flexible pipe detachably joined to the lower end of said tube, and

means for adjustably holding said pipe with itslower end curved up to prevent liquid from dripping therefrom when said funnel and attachment are hung up as a unit after using, said means including a pair of split end clamps for engaging the exterior of said tube and pipe respectively, and a connected chain and a coiled spring located between said end clamps.

11. In a combination can opener and funnel article, a connected tube and bowl, a cutter knife 1 and fulcrum unit rigidly supported above the base of said bowl, a flexible metal hose detachably connected upon the lower end of said tube to facilitate the delivery of liquid from said funnel to any desired location, a pair of hook members for use in selectively hanging said article in two different angular positions, and yieldable means for adjustably holding the lower end of said hose curved up to prevent dripping of liquid therefrom 12. In a combination'can-opener and spout, a tube open at both ends, a knife attached to said tube at the top thereof for puncturing the side of a can, a fulcrum fixed adjacent said knife and adapted to be engaged by the rim of a can to cause an opening to be pierced in the side of said can when said can is swung about said fulcrum, a funnel bowl surrounding said tube in, liquid sealing relation to receive liquid which spills therefrom, and a laterally extending member secured to said bowl, serving as a handle for manipulating said spout.

CHARLES F. BERTSCI-IINGER. 

